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Johan

boy name
Origin
Scandinavian
Syllables
2
Peak era
2000s/2020s
Today
▬ Steady

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Meaning

“Scandinavian/Dutch/German form of John, traditionally translated 'God is gracious'”

The story

Johan is how John sounds in Amsterdam and Stockholm, the Dutch and Scandinavian form of a name meaning God is gracious. In soccer it means one man: Johan Cruyff, the lean Dutch genius of the 1970s who embodied Total Football, invented the turn that still bears his name, and led the Netherlands to the 1974 World Cup final playing the most beautiful losing soccer anyone had seen. As a coach at Barcelona he planted the ideas that later flowered into the teams of Xavi, Iniesta, and Messi; it is fair to say modern soccer speaks with a Dutch accent because of him. In American records Johan has been a quiet presence, its stronger run coming in recent decades as international names and international soccer moved into the mainstream. It remains uncommon enough to feel distinctive: a familiar name at heart, with a visionary attached.

More names with stories →

How popular is Johan around the world?

In the United States, 2,985 babies were named Johan between 2020 and 2025. In Norway, 175 boys were given the name Johan in 2025.

Johan is on the official records of the United States, Norway, Puerto Rico, Mexico City, Montevideo, Chile, Argentina, France, Austria, Canada, Ireland, South Australia, England and Wales, Spain and Brazil.

United States

1 in 7,300

In the United States, 2,985 babies were named Johan between 2020 and 2025.

1890speak 2000s

Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Johan peaked in the 2000s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.

Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration

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Norway

1 in 160 · register 2026

In Norway, 175 boys were given the name Johan in 2025.

1945peak 2023

share of the boys on the register for that year, SSB’s own figure

People who have or have had a Norwegian ID number, emigrants left out, from Statistics Norway’s name statistics (release of January 2026): by year of birth for 1945–2020 (everyone born that year who was ever registered in Norway, including people who registered later and people who have since died) and by year of naming from 2021; only first names carried by 200 or more living people are listed, counts under 4 are withheld, and SSB merges spellings that differ only by letters outside the Norwegian alphabet. The shares are SSB’s own, of the people of that sex and year in that count; the 2025 figure counts the children named that year, and no year is a count of births. Source: Statistics Norway (SSB), table 10467 (updated 2026-01-28)

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Puerto Rico

1 in 1,100

In Puerto Rico, 17 babies were named Johan in 2025, and 453 have carried the name since 1998.

1998peak 2023

share of that year’s births on record

First given name only, from Social Security records of births in Puerto Rico; any name-sex-year under 5 births is withheld at source. Shares divide by the Puerto Rico Demographic Registry’s count of births on the island; the 2025 count is provisional. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, territory name file (Puerto Rico)

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Mexico City City

1 in 1,500

In Mexico City, there were 81 registrations of Johan in 2022.

2000peak 20102022

share of that year’s registrations in the city

Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023, a partial extract through 3 Mar with no cell on record for this name, is excluded. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023

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Montevideo City

1 in 2,500 · 2011

In Montevideo, 10 boys named Johan were born in 2011, spelling variants counted together.

1940peak 2004

share of that year’s births on record

Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial

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Chile

1 in 3,500

In Chile, 51 boys were registered as Johan in 2021, every accent spelling counted together.

1920peak 2006

share of that year’s name registrations

First-name registrations with Chile’s civil registry by year of registration, 1920–2021, counted as spelling groups (Sofía, Sofia and Sofìa are one name, shown with its most-registered spelling); the registry withholds nothing, nametree keeps the groups that reached 5 registrations in some year, and shares divide by every registration of the year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación (Chile) via the guaguas package, first-name registrations 1920-2021

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Argentina

1 in 3,800

In Argentina, 175 newborns were given the name Johan in 2024.

2012peak 20182024

share of that year’s name registrations

Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024

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France

1 in 5,200

In France, about 125 boys named Johan were born in 2025, the 384th most common name among boys that year.

1900peak 19882025

share of that year’s births on record

Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)

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Austria

1 in 7,600

In Austria, 10 boys named Johan were born in 2025, the 467th most common name among boys that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.

1984peak 2025

share of that year’s births on record

Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)

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Canada

1 in 10,000

In Canada, 35 boys named Johan were born in 2024, the 756th most common name among boys that year.

1991peak 2019

share of that year’s name registrations

First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)

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Ireland

1 in 14,000

In Ireland, 4 boys named Johan were born in 2025, the 676th most common name among boys that year.

1964peak 2024

share of that year’s name registrations

Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names

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South Australia

1 in 18,000 · 2017

In South Australia, 1 boy was registered as Johan in 2017.
The count never rose above 3 in a year, too few to chart.

Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names

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England and Wales

1 in 20,000

In England and Wales, 30 boys named Johan were born in 2025, ranked 1,007th among boys that year.

1996peak 20132025

share of that year’s name registrations

Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales

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Spain

1 in 64,000

In Spain, 699 residents are named Johan, ranked 1,816th among men, with a mean age of 27.4 years.

Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025

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Brazil

1 in 140,000

At the 2022 census, 1,508 people in Brazil were named Johan, ranked 6,243rd, with a median age of 21.
Among people named Johan living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 2000s than in any other decade.

1960speak 2000s

people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth

The census also counted 123 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart. People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022

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New Zealand

last on record 2021

Johan is not on the 2025 record for New Zealand, where names under 10 in a year are excluded at source.

2010peak 20202025

share of that year’s name registrations

First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time

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Poland

last on record 2014

Johan is not on the 2025 record for Poland, where names given fewer than 2 times in a year are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 3 in a year, too few to chart.

First names given to children born in Poland by year of birth, 2000–2025, from the PESEL population register (Ministry of Digital Affairs); exact spellings count separately (Łukasz and Lukasz are different names), names given fewer than 5 times in a year were left off the list through 2012 and fewer than 2 times from 2013, and the register also counts children born abroad, so its yearly sums run above Poland’s live births. Shares divide by the register’s own published total for the year, never by births. Source: Ministry of Digital Affairs, PESEL register (dane.gov.pl)

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Scotland

last on record 2013

Johan is not on the 2024 record for Scotland, where spellings under 3 in total are suppressed at source.
The count never rose above 9 in a year, too few to chart.

Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names

See the full list for Scotland →

All records: the most popular baby names around the world →

When you meet Johan

Most people given the name Johan in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.

Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.

Names that fit alongside Johan

Lars Sven Leif Erik Dominic Lorenzo

Keep exploring

Names of soccer legends

The Johan deep dive

Written for you · $1.99 →

Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Johan truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Johan fits with your family’s names and surname.

Both reports, explained →

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